Amity
By Dan'yu
The thought predominately on Kagura's mind as she came home that afternoon was her irritation that she had not remembered to pack a change of clothes that morning, knowing she would be training at the dojo in the afternoon, and now the inevitable side-trip back home only prolonged the time before she could be with her precious Kyou-kun.
Kyou-kun. The thought of him brought a dreamy smile to her face, but before she could drift into further daydreams, the sound of laughter broke through her reflections: clear, ringing, definitively female, followed a few moments later by deep, rich reverberation of a male voice, a murmur and a chuckle, echoing with more of the light, carefree giggling.
Baffled, she set her schoolbag on the ground and crept down the corridor, peeking cautiously around the corner to take in a sight that had her jaw unhinging and her eyes widening with incredulous shock. In the living room, two figures were lying on the couch, their identities unmistakable, Haru-kun with his flopping white hair, hiding his eyes but doing nothing to obscure the grin warming his features, Isuzu with her long, trailing locks of raven-black hair draped over the arm of the couch.
Her clothes, standard springtime light blouse and short skirt of her school uniform, were riding up even further as she struggled under him, but neither seemed to notice as Haru-kun kept her pinned beneath his body, mercilessly digging his fingers into ribs as he tickled her. Isuzu writhed and squirmed beneath him, dragging her nails down his neck, tugging at his hair, threatening him between bouts of laughter, but still he did not let her go.
Long, slender, and indecently bare legs locked around his waist, heels digging into the small of his back as she used her new hold on him as leverage, arching up against him in an attempt to throw him off. He barely budged, but he did pause, a strangled sound escaping his throat, his hands dropping to either side of them, sinking into the sofa cushions, as he adjusted to the new position, his body pressing intimately close to Isuzu's as he gazed down at her, his smile gone and the room quiet but for the sound of their ragged breathing.
"You play dirty," he muttered, the husky whisper carrying through the quiet room despite the softness of his tone, the intensity underlying the simple statement unmistakable.
"Hardly," she replied tartly, linking her arms around his neck, dragging her nails once more over the sensitive skin of his nape, eliciting a shiver down his spine, "I just know what to use to my advantage."
He shook her head to refute her, lowering his head to press an open-mouthed kiss to her neck, another to the sliver of creamy skin revealed by her loosened blouse. Kagura's face flamed with embarrassment as she watched their interaction, but she was unable to turn away, enthralled by the strange spell of bittersweet intimacy the two were casting.
"Shameless," Haru-kun maintained, looking up once more to gaze at Isuzu with a slight smile curving his lips.
"Only with you," Isuzu whispered back, all hints of flirtation gone from her voice, replaced by a naked truth, a bare emotion that brought unexpected tears to Kagura's eyes, ones she irritably blinked away, only to have them start up again as Haru-kun's expression shifted once more, taking on a quality so warm, and tender, and loving all thoughts of the forbidden nature of their affair left her mind.
She dimly heard him murmur the name "Rin", the nickname Isuzu was so endeared to, and as she watched them kiss, she was finally able to tear her eyes away, turning back around the corner. She leaned back against the wall, her heart racing for reasons she could not fully understand, her mind whirling with new thoughts, conflicting desires, and a new respect for the couple in the next room.
Isuzu and Haru? Isuzu, one of the most isolated people she had ever met, with Hatsuharu, possibly one of the most open of the Jyuunishi she knew. It was difficult to make the correlation in her mind, but she thought of the strange vulnerability she had caught flashes of over the years in Isuzu, the pain fleetingly evident on rare occasions in the good-nature amity of Hatsuharu's gaze. She thought of how close they had always been.
She closed her eyes, and tried to remember the last time she had heard Isuzu laugh.
She could not think of a single time.
It was the least she owed them, she silently promised, to keep their secret, and protect that love that practically permeated the atmosphere around them. With that resolution firmly in her mindset, she put back on her shoes and soundlessly slipped out the door, trying to remember whether any of the old training clothes Shihan kept in a closet at the dojo would still fit her.
If nothing else, she could keep Kyou-kun company as he trained. It had been a while since she saw him. Perhaps Tohru-chan was visiting as well, and they could chat over tea. At least at the dojo, she was guaranteed not to walk in on any awkward situations.
Though, an hour ago, she hadn't thought to worry about it in her own home. Only Kami-sama knew what those two were probably doing now.
The very thought brought another vivid flush to her face, and she scurried off to the dojo, determined to put the afternoon's happenings out of her mind.